A goal without plans is a just a wish. A goal with a plan is something you can achieve.
Can you imagine picking a vacation destination and, start the first day of your vacation without a way to get there? You’d use a couple days just making reservations, planning the route, packing, etc. What a waste of vacation days! You wouldn’t do that, would you?
Or what about inviting your family over for a holiday dinner and, when the day comes, the only food is what you already have in the house? You wouldn’t do that to them. If you invite family or friends, you decide what you want to serve, when to buy the food, where to seat your guests and much more.
When you have a goal and don’t make a detailed plan for accomplish it, it’s the same thing as inviting people and not doing anything to get ready.
Plan out your goal the same way you would plan a vacation or dinner. With your goal as the end result, here’s a ways to make your plan: Work backwards. Imagine you are already at your goal.
- How did you get there?
- What steps did you take?
- Who helped you?
- What do you have now that you didn’t have at the beginning (e.g., financing, education, skills, mentors, customers).
Those questions are just the beginning. Once you get started, if you’re “in” the end result, you’ll think of more questions. Write then down and ask others for suggestions for things you might have missed.
If you really want your wishes to become realities, you must set a goal. Then, having a detailed plan will tell you what to do next, and each “next” will take you one step closer to your goal.
